with a side of bike & run

This past Monday was the 113th Running of the Boston Marathon. I can’t think of a more inspiring day in Boston! Below are some of the pictures I snapped from volunteering at the LIVESTRONG booth at the marathon Expo as well as some race pictures in Kenmore Sq.

Very cool wall sponsored by ADIDAS where every runner could put their picture at their favorite, or least favorite part of the race.
The most famous (and hated) hill in marathon history
US Men’s Favorite Ryan Hall signing autographs in the Marathon Sports/ASICS booth at the Expo. On Monday placed 3rd coming in at a swift 2:09:40.

Now…some RACE PICS!
Kenmore Square was CRAZY from people cheering marathoners and Red Sox game attendees
Best sign EVER.
A close runner up to the best sign ever.

Now that I’m so fired up, all I have to do is attempt to qualify!! Easier said than done. I’m excited to see what the next year holds for running…

With 70 degree temperatures hitting Boston for the first time since September, what better time to post a running shoe review?
My favorite and now, stand by running shoe is the ACICS Gel Nimbus. The shoe has been so popular that it is now in it’s 10th version. I personally love this shoe so much that I will probably die with them on my feet.

I haven’t always been an “endless runner”, but I have been a die hard ASICS brand loyalist since I first started seriously running road races five years ago. I love the narrow fit and perfect cushioning. As a size A width, I gravitate towards ASICS due to their traditionally narrow fit. I never need to go down a size and suffer tightness in the toe box-rock on. Best of all, the constuction of the shoe is so sound, that I never mind myself developing shin splints or a pesky case of Plantar Fasciitis. That is, unless I get lazy and fail to replace shoes-but that is neither here nor there!

The Gel Nimbus is The flagship running shoe in ASICS cushioning category. It has been a longtime favorite is built and won praise from health and fitness pros and novices alike. According to the ASICS company web site, the show is built on a wide platform, making for exceptional comfort and stability. Features enhanced upper fit with our proprietary asymmetrical lacing design, while cozy Solyte® Midsole material provides a plush road feel. Whatever you say ASICS. If the Nimbus fits, I run!

The other day I checked my email to see the usual suspects: a sale alert at Gilt Group, a Boston event alert, a facebook notification and of course, an email detailing some new twitter followers. As I went through deciding who to follow, I noticed that one name stood out from the others: Twiike (Twitter and Nike+.) I immediately followed back and over the next few days I watched the runs pour in to my twitter feed- pretty cool stuff!
Nike+ has been touted as the ultimate product partnership and interactive campaign. The emergence of the twitter feed for your runs is just another step in the integrated marketing process. Allowing Nike+ users in the twitter community to engage in this user centric environment only furthers the conversation of the Nike and Apple brands. But, will this actually work? A couple things I’m interested in tracking: Does this has the staying power of the actual Nike+ device? How can this Twitter application go further? I can see this application morphing into a community of people all training for the same race and then going head to head on training runs and sharing training tips.

I have personally clicked on specific Nike+ users to follow them and track their everyday runs as well as their tweets concerning races they have registered for etc. This only further expands my circle of fellow runners in the social media sphere, which is a niche I always want to expand. I encourage everyone to try it out, it’s pretty cool stuff. If you have any thoughts or suggestions for other running or fitness applications please comment on this blog or tweet me @swimmyimy.

This winter, no matter how you slice it, has been a LONG and cold one. I know I have posted about becoming a skier, but pshhh-winter, you’ve got to go! I can’t even convey how happy I am each day I see the thermometer go up just one degree-Spring time is almost here! With the coming of spring, so begins the emergence of spring and summer road races-a tradition I love to partake in. Of course, the most harrowed road race in the United States kicks it all off, the Boston Marathon! I can’t wait to make my way out to Heartbreak hill and cheer on my fellow marathoners. I know just standing on the sidelines will reignite the passion and fire for running and competition that has gone dark this long, cold and dreary winter. Each year I attend the Boston Marathon it gives me goosebumps because I know that someday, that will be me.

To follow up after the last post, I have been to yoga three times in my office and the verdict is in, I think I can get used to this! Surely the act of yoga will never be in its purest form when you can hear an elevator ding, or the rumblings of a business conversation; but there is something to be said for escaping all of that to engage in the act of yoga.
Most of all, I enjoyed the fact that the yoga teacher: she was clear in her direction, helpful and very well versed in the yoga practice. She established a non-threatening environment perfect for first time yoga students to highly skilled yogini’s.

I also really enjoyed the room where we partook in our practice, a sunny conference room over looking the hustle and bustle of Boston. It was a perfect view and contrast to the relaxing state we were pushing our bodies to.

In closing, I’m so happy my office is now offering yoga. It is not only cost effective, but a very efficient way to engage in the practice of yoga on a very tight and busy schedule. It will never be the same as when I go to the yoga studio, but considering how I have to pry myself out of the office every night, it is the perfect diversion from the hum of the computer screen, harsh office lighting and the dig of the elevator, well almost.

Last week the human resources department at my agency sent out an email stating that they would be offering yoga classes in the work place-for free! These classes, which are set to happen on Thursdays, are going to be taught by a former human resources employee that has an extensive yoga resume. My first reaction was, this is awesome! I am constantly feeling stressed and overwhelmed by work, so the fact that I can get my stretch on without leaving the building is a pretty cool concept.

I did a brief google search and I found an article on Yoga in the Workplace, which told me much of what I had already hypothesized, yoga in the work place = happier, healthier employees. The article states, “As per recent studies, it has the ability to reduce the number of sick days in the workplace and recuperate the overall health of people who practice yoga. It also helps in lowering health care costs”. I guess everything does always have to go back to the bottom line. Less health care costs means savings for the company and therefore more efficient workers! That aside, given the current economic and subsequent emotional toll that we are all endure on a daily basis, I can’t think of a better time to implement yoga in a work setting.

I personally haven’t done yoga since the end of October. Not because I didn’t enjoy it, but because Christmas time was around the corner and I had to allocate those dollars towards gifts. Silly capitalist twist on a Christian holiday interfering with my chi. Never fear, thanks to Hill Holliday my four month hiatus in the yoga circuit ends Thursday when I will join 19 of my other coworkers by taking part in yoga class in our client presentation room at Hill Holliday. Granted, the location might make it a little tougher for me to put a work stressor out of my head, but it sure is a hell of a lot more convenient and cost effective.

Which leads me to two things: Does anyone else have yoga at their work place? I’m curious to see how they like it. And finally, look for full report on the inaugural HHCC yoga class on Friday morning.

Very cool link on Marathon training for Boston 2009, and the struggles that north east runners encounter! I guess I’ll have to invest into some of Bill Rodger’s running spikes next year if I decide to train for Boston ’10.